I chose to do my project about Steve Zerobnick.
Steve immigrated from America and since the day he arrived in Israel, he hasn’t stopped contributing to the society. His most known publicly acknowledged project is "Wheels of Love", a bike ride he and several of his friends started to raising money for the Alyn Orthopedic Hospital in Jerusalem.
Steve also has a hand in tourism in Israel, now working with Keshet after years of running his own tour company, Shovalim. By organizing trips around Israel, he is able to share his passion for the land with others.
His love for the Jewish people and Israel runs in his blood and is also a big part in his wife's and children’s life.
All four of his children did and are still serving in the Israeli army, each contributing the most they can in their own special way.
I know that through the project I grew to understand and appreciate Israel even more, to not take things for granted. Because I was born in Israel, it doesn’t always seem to me to be such a big deal to live here - it’s the only thing that I know.
I hope that through the work and the interview, I have learned to appreciate more of what we have in our blessed, little country.
profile-
When you take a look at Steve, you would never guess this man had an extraordinary life. He looks just like any other man his age with a soft American accent, wise eyes and some gray hair he tries to hide. You would never imagine the man standing before you has a life story that can fill books. A life story that could capture people's attention within seconds and make them listen so carefully so as to not miss a thing. A life story people wish to have just so they can feel that they contributed to the world, and that they have a good story to tell their grandchildren.
When Steve Zerobnick talks about his journey of immigrating to Israel, and starting a new and full life, it sounds simple, but that is just because his love for Israel helped him cope with the many struggles.
Steve came to Israel for a year of studying and fell in love with Israel. He also realized that this country was the most important thing that has happened in the Jewish world in the last 2,000 years and he was not willing to just stand on the side and watch Israel "happen" without being a part of the process. Steve said, "It's like watching a play or being in it, just in real life. I knew I wanted to play."
It's hard to imagine moving away from your family to a distant little country. Steve was blessed with supporting, loving and understanding parents. He was also very lucky since his sister had come to Israel the year before and decided to immigrate.
Steve remembers talking to his sister about her plans, and deciding together that they would immigrate and have each other. His sister got married 9 months before he made Aliyah and on that day they promised each other that they would raise their children together in Israel. It helped Steve to know that he and his future children would have family here.
Both Steve’s parents were involved with Israel in a lot of different ways. His father was involved in the Jewish Federation that helped support and organize Jewish affairs all over the U.S. Steve is not at all surprised of his deep love for Israel because he knows his parents love, care, and commitment for Israel flows in his body.
"All my deep feelings for Israel come from my parents," he told me. Steve’s parents weren’t thrilled about him immigrating to Israel because they knew it meant they would see him much less but they understood him, and when they saw he was serious about it they encouraged him and helped him do it. They eventually made Aliyah as did his younger sister: even his aging grandmother lived here for several years before her death.
After Steve’s first year in Israel he went back to Denver and was called by a Zionist organization that runs tours in Israel and was asked to guide a group of teenage Americans in Israel for a week. He took the job and as he was guiding, he saw how each and every one of the kid’s life was changed, how they fell in love with Israel and how their Jewish identity was boosted.
That week, Steve realized that touring Israel has a very powerful side to it and he decided that everything he would do in his life would revolve around bringing people to Israel, telling the story of Israel, showing people the beautiful places in Israel and helping people live in Israel the way every Jew should.
While guiding, he understood that Israel inspires people to feel connected as it connects them to Judaism, to Jewish history, and most importantly, it helps them connect to their identity - to themselves. He has grown over the years to love guiding because he loves to be part of that process for others and watch it happen.
steve on his bike while riding in the alyn race
steve on his bike while riding in the alyn race
When Steve came to Israel a new world opened up to him - new places, new people, and new opportunities. He immediately fell in love with the entire country but most of all he loved the Holy City of Jerusalem. He loved the smell, the atmosphere, the people and the connection to ancient and modern history. It continues to amaze him that he can walk to the Western Wall on Jewish holidays and pray there with all the Jews that come from near and far, praying at the only remnant we have left from the Temple. Steve can't imagine living anywhere else-"I love Jerusalem; there is no city like it in the world."
Two years after Steve immigrated to Israel it was clear there would be a war with Lebanon. The PLO was shooting rockets into Israel and the country had to respond.At the time, Steve was a counselor in one of the Zionist youth programs and he and his group were touring in the North when the Lebanese started bombing the kibbutz where they were staying. Steve and the group had to spend the following Shabbat in a bomb shelter.
After that Shabbat, he went back to his yeshiva and was asked by a friend if he was a citizen yet Steve replied that he was not. The friend then asked him the million dollar question – “what will he do when all his friends get called up to go into the army and he doesn’t?”
That question got Steve thinking and once the war broke out he had a terrible feeling. He tried to do what he could by volunteering wherever he could but it didn’t just feel like it was enough. Therefore, as soon as possible, he became a citizen and served in the army for a year and a half as a paratrooper and a medic. "It was a great experience for me to serve in the Israeli army in a combat unit. I felt like I made a contribution to the country that did so much for me. Being a soldier was a big part of my becoming an Israeli and feeling like I belong in Israel."
As a kid Steve loved riding his bike. He rode all around the mountains of his birthplace in Colorado, anywhere his wheels would take him. In the year 2000, he and some friends wanted to take part in a bike ride that raised money for a hospital in England but took place in Israel. Sadly, the first intifada broke out at that time and the British hospital canceled the ride because they thought it was too dangerous to be in Israel with all the shooting and
rock throwing on the streets.
Steve and the ten friends who were planning to
bike got together to decide what they would do- would they relocate with the British bikers to Spain or forget all about it. Instead, it was decided that since Steve organized tours, he could plan the road trip in Israel so they would still be able to ride.
He planned a route from Jerusalem to Eilat and the bikers knew that by riding together during the Intifada they were showing themselves and others that life could go on, that it was exactly what they and others needed to combat the sadness and frustration that so many people felt at that time.
They did the ride and enjoyed every minute of it. Steve said it was harder than expected but absolutely worth it. Over $65,000 was raised!
They were surprised at their success and decided to put together a committee at the Alyn Orthopedic Hospital and turn the ride into something bigger and better.
They did not believe that it would really become something so big but they were wrong. That ride which started from 10 bikers became a worldwide event, with people from over 20 different countries participating and hundreds of thousands of dollars being raised every year.
They proved that you can make the impossible, possible, This will be the 10th year for the Alyn bike ride - a bike ride that started because of the will to change and to help Israel in its hardest moments.
Steve comments- "I never dreamed of starting something like this. I just had the privilege to make this happen with the help of many talented people.
steve by the wall plaque at alyn
steve by the wall plaque at alyn
That ride, and each one of the years since, combined two of the things Steve loves - riding and guiding. Since there are so many tourists that now bike with the Alyn ride, they stop at certain places and have a guide explain the amazing history and sites that they are riding through.
Besides helping people feel connected to Israel through the ride, one of the committee’s goals is to make biking more popular in Israel, and of course, encourage safety while riding.
Steve’s dream for Israel is that it should become the kind of Country that a Jewish country should be, based on Jewish values: a country with social justice, where people care about each other, give to each other, and treat each other well.
A country that is a light unto the nations.
Steve’s message to the world is that each person should find what is most important to him or her and live a life based on those values and principles, no matter how hard that is. after saying that he laughs and says that it's not a sentence that is written on ancient walls or printed on brochures, but it is how he lives his life!
Wheels of Love, ALYN Ride
– History
How the ALYN ride started- When you hear about an organization that raises so much money every year, and all the money goes to the Alyn hospital patients, you imagine a big story behind it. You imagine hundreds of people involved. You probably wouldn’t believe if someone told you it started from 10 young men who just wanted to ride the trails of their country, loving Israel kilometer by kilometer.
You might not believe that person, but it's true. Ten young men made the unbelievable possible and believable. They started an organization that has become the biggest non-profit charity organization in Israel - an organization that brings people together, gives other people hope, and lets those that can ride the length and breadth of the country help those that wish they could.
In 1997, Geoffrey Freeman, a new immigrant from England approached ALYN Children's Hospital with the inspired notion to continue his cycling tradition from 'the old country' and include ALYN's children as beneficiaries of the annual Norwood Ravenswood Israel Charity Bike Ride. In the years that followed, other riders from Israel joined him and by 2000 a record number of nine riders signed up.
But due to violence in the region, the Norwood Ravenswood contingent from England made the decision to cancel three weeks before the start of the 2000 ride. However, the ten ALYN riders decided to go ahead, and the first dedicated ALYN Charity Bike Ride was born. In their ride from Jerusalem to Eilat, the ten riders raised over $65,000 for the ALYN Hospital.
As word of mouth spread about the news of the ride, the number of riders grew from year to year. In 2001, 48 riders rode from the Golan Heights to Jerusalem. They broke the 100 rider mark in 2002, when 107 riders rode once again from Jerusalem to Eilat.
Nearly $2,000,000 was raised by the 324 riders who participated in the 2005 ride which began on the Golan Heights went up Mount Hermon and finished up in Jerusalem. For the second year running, more than 50% of the riders came from overseas.
In 2007, the ride grew yet again. A fourth touring route was added, that gave an opportunity for riders to ride only part of the day, and in addition, tour Israel’s magnificent North. The Ride started in Tiberias and ended in Jerusalem. Over $3,000,000 was raised.
The fact that in 2008, under the shadow of the global financial crisis, over 570 riders, from 10 countries came to ride from Jerusalem to Jerusalem via the Negev and the Dead Sea for ALYN's physically challenged children and succeeded in raising just over $2,100,000 says so much for the loyalty, the devotion, the generosity and above all the caring of the Wheels Of Love participants!
The 10th Anniversary of the ALYN Wheels Of Love Ride in 2009 was the very best ever. Although this Ride took place under difficult weather conditions, the morale stayed as high as the mountains they climbed. Today the 660 participants have succeeded in raising an interim total of $2,000,000.
In between rides and charity projects, the Alyn WOL staff and committee try to raise the awareness and importance of safety, while driving, riding and running.
They publicize helmets and other gadgets that are easily purchased, comfortable and are life savers. There are many stories about accidents, most of them told by those who survived a serious crash because they wore helmets. Safety matters a lot more than looks.
I hope you believe it now, because it is true.
This amazing organization that helps so many people in so many different ways was started because ten young men wanted to ride and weren’t willing to let the danger stop them.
We have a lot to learn from them, one of the main things I learned from them is, no fear, never give up, don’t cancel your dream and belief, fight for your dream and fight for your nations spirit.
Wheels of Love – making history, one year at a time!
Literary Connection-
The Road Not Taken \ Robert Frost Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference. When people talk about immigrating to Israel it usually comes down to two reasons:
Either they want to connect to the Jewish people and to Jewish history or,
by chance, they somehow ended up in the Holy Land.
I think everything happens for a reason and that nobody just ends up somewhere. There are choices taken and decisions made that lead someone to where he is now.
No one just randomly ends up in Israel. There is a stronger and deeper reason that the traveler might not know or might never fully understand.
But he got here and lives here in Israel for a reason.
Our life flies by pretty quickly, and I think we need to take advantage of who we are, where we live, like they say- "carpei dium", “Cease the Moment”, live each day as if it was your last. Make the best of it.
Don’t deny who you are, if you're a Jew, live in Israel.
Help your nation become stronger, more real, more yours.
Take the risks that are worth taking. Travel the road that is less traveled. Don’t look back. Don’t look to see what others are doing. Be real with yourself. Do what you believe. Don’t let the opportunities go by and don’t live your life thinking “what if…?”
What you decide, who you are, that makes all the difference.
The poem talks about making a choice - in this case about where to go, which path to choose. I read it and made the connection to each and every one of our lives. It is about making choices, about being who you are and who you are meant to be.
Since I've been working on the profile, this poem spoke to me and I really see Israel in it. Israel may look like any other ordinary country, but it is not.
Israel is more than a country. Its heart, its will, its faith, its history, its love, is everything a Jew needs and more.
Once you immigrate and stick to your decision, you can see it, see how special and blessed the country is, and notice how lucky we are to be living in a place like Israel.
That decision, of immigrating for what ever reason, that has made all the difference.
Live your life wanting to make a change,
Live your life wanting to make a difference.
Its up to us, the power is in our hands, the future of our country and nation is depended upon us.
creative connection-
Every time I picture my childhood, there is always a ball of some sort, always some sport going on. That’s how I was born - with a ball in one hand and a never ending love for the game in the other.
This year, I decided to retire from baseball. I decided to put a game that I love and will always love behind me, to put part of who I am in a box called Memory. I will always remember the feeling of holding a bat, hearing its crack when it sends the ball flying into the clouds. I will cherish forever the touch of the leather glove and the seams of the baseball. I will never forget the sight of the ball being released on the pitch and flying right into the catcher’s glove, followed by the umpire’s call, “Strike”. All these pieces of memory and mind - feeling the rush of the wind on my body while running the bases, sliding into home plate with such a sense of pride, getting patted on the helmet by my teammates - every piece of the game makes it exciting and an amazing team effort. Like they say- “there is no ‘I’ in baseball”…
It was a hard decision to make, and even now, after I’ve put it all behind me, it’s hard to not look back and think about what an amazing game I’m missing out on. Every time I see a bat or a glove or a baseball, my first instinct is to pick it up, run it through my fingers and let my head fill with the memories that rush my mind with every touch of these childhood ‘friends’. When people ask me now why I stopped playing, I always say, “I wanted to give some new kids a chance to be the rookie…”, but deep inside I know that’s not the real reason. I stopped because there comes a time in life when you need to move on, to try new things, to open your mind to different possibilities, even if it means putting part of who you are aside. Moving on doesn’t mean forgetting; it means trying new things and always having a warm place in your heart for the things you’ve left behind.
Baseball had a really big impact on building, shaping and making me the person I am today. Throughout the years, I’ve had coaches who taught me about sportsmanship, helping me learn that winning and losing need to be done in the same way - with your head held high. While playing you learn never to give up, to always try harder, to ‘give everything you got’, to cheer on your teammates, because “the team is only as strong as the weakest player.” On the field, I learned so many morals and life lessons that guide me and help me with living off the field. Playing a team sport really teaches you about people, personalities, friendship, will, sportsmanship, unity, and most of all, it teaches you and helps you find and develop yourself.
I thought my life would be the same after I stopped playing baseball but I noticed that it felt empty, as if some part of me was missing. So, I decided to try football to heal my broken baseball heart and to see how it is to play on an all girls’ team. I got to the field on the first open football practice, picked up the ball and felt this weird feeling in my finger tips, as if the football is where it needs to be. In four months of hard work, I worked my way up to the Israeli National Women’s Football Team, one of the younger players on the team. I don’t think football replaced baseball; it’s just one more chance and adventure I’ve got to take and be a part of.
When I look at pictures and think about my baseball career, I think of my trip to Czech. For me, it symbolizes will and strength - of a team and of a country. That summer of 2006, every Israeli fought their own fight - if it was to live, to be happy, to believe, or to win. As Michael Jordan says,
"If you're trying to achieve, there will be roadblocks. I've had them; everybody has had them. But obstacles don't have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don't turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it."
The trip taught me that being different is okay because, sometimes, being different is actually being yourself. The scrap book I made is a way to remember that amazing, hard, wonderful, happy, confusing time. It starts at the beginning of my baseball days and doesn't really end, because it's not the end yet. You never know, the Major League might want me to play for them one day…
Every day I thank all the people that had anything to do with baseball, because baseball has a lot to do with who I am today. While making the book, I hoped that who ever reads it or goes through it will get a feel of what it was like, being in a foreign country during a war, not giving up even when it gets hard, making your good into your best. It was an honor to represent Israel and to bring back pride - a bronze medal.
Reflection-
When kids hear the word project, they usually give up straight away; they put on this unhappy face and just sit there, annoyed.
For some reason when I heard about this project I didn’t have that face, maybe because I'm a nerd, or simply because I knew I would make it fun and meaningful.
There are a lot of things that we know and think in our head, but once you write them down and say them out loud it gives it a stronger affect, suddenly you really understand, once you put the thought into action it becomes real.
When you’re a little kid, it is easy to believe everything is good and that all people are nice. Once you grow up, you see that it is only partially true.
Through this project, I was able to look at the fullest and best part of Israel and her citizens. I heard and saw for myself of those people who have been contributing their whole lives to Israel.
I understand that there are criminals and people who behave badly, but there are also so many people, including many immigrants, who do so much good. They create organizations to help others, they give money to the less fortunate, they do everything to try to make their country and the world a better place.
I learned that there are so many people with dreams. We all have dreams and, as weird as it sounds, some people’s dream is to help, just because they can.
They know that if they don’t, who will?
It is a cycle - people help you and then you want to help others.
It is the cycle that keeps the world from ending.
It is the cycle that keeps us human.
"WE LEARN FROM THE PAST FOR THE FUTURE."
We learn things from others so we can plant those seeds in ourselves, become better, nicer, happier, and through that, more ourselves.
Having people that you can learn from in your life is a blessing. Learn from their good deeds. Learn from others so, one day, people will be able to learn from you.
Don’t let anyone tell you that you can't. There is nothing you can't do.
Fulfill your potential and be proactive. Don’t waste your talents and strengths. Help others and in so doing, help your country, your nation, your people.
Bibliography-The interview was taken on Monday, in Steves house in Jerusalem. "poems." poem hunter.com. 3/8/2010 3:37:39 AM. Web. 8 Mar 2010. <http://www.poemhunter.com/search/?q=the+road+not+taken> "Wheels of Love – The International ALYN Charity Bike Ride." wheels of love. בניית אתרים , Web. 8 Mar 2010. <http://www.alynride.org/>.
All photos were taken by Steve Zerobnick and his family.
"Classic Poetry Pages Version 2.0." Classic Poetry Pages Version 2.0. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Apr. 2010. <http://poetrypages.lemon8.nl/index.htm>.
"Alyn Hospital." AlynHospital. daronet, n.d. Web. 28 Apr. 2010. <http://www.alyn.org/>.
Table of Contents
Profile-Steve Zerobnick
Raaya Ben DavidRational:
I chose to do my project about Steve Zerobnick.Steve immigrated from America and since the day he arrived in Israel, he hasn’t stopped contributing to the society. His most known publicly acknowledged project is "Wheels of Love", a bike ride he and several of his friends started to raising money for the Alyn Orthopedic Hospital in Jerusalem.
Steve also has a hand in tourism in Israel, now working with Keshet after years of running his own tour company, Shovalim. By organizing trips around Israel, he is able to share his passion for the land with others.
His love for the Jewish people and Israel runs in his blood and is also a big part in his wife's and children’s life.
All four of his children did and are still serving in the Israeli army, each contributing the most they can in their own special way.
I know that through the project I grew to understand and appreciate Israel even more, to not take things for granted. Because I was born in Israel, it doesn’t always seem to me to be such a big deal to live here - it’s the only thing that I know.
I hope that through the work and the interview, I have learned to appreciate more of what we have in our blessed, little country.
profile-
When you take a look at Steve, you would never guess this man had an extraordinary life. He looks just like any other man his age with a soft American accent, wise eyes and some gray hair he tries to hide. You would never imagine the man standing before you has a life story that can fill books. A life story that could capture people's attention within seconds and make them listen so carefully so as to not miss a thing.A life story people wish to have just so they can feel that they contributed to the world, and that they have a good story to tell their grandchildren.
When Steve Zerobnick talks about his journey of immigrating to Israel, and starting a new and full life, it sounds simple, but that is just because his love for Israel helped him cope with the many struggles.
Steve came to Israel for a year of studying and fell in love with Israel. He also realized that this country was the most important thing that has happened in the Jewish world in the last 2,000 years and he was not willing to just stand on the side and watch Israel "happen" without being a part of the process. Steve said, "It's like watching a play or being in it, just in real life. I knew I wanted to play."
It's hard to imagine moving away from your family to a distant little country. Steve was blessed with supporting, loving and understanding parents. He was also very lucky since his sister had come to Israel the year before and decided to immigrate.
Steve remembers talking to his sister about her plans, and deciding together that they would immigrate and have each other. His sister got married 9 months before he made Aliyah and on that day they promised each other that they would raise their children together in Israel. It helped Steve to know that he and his future children would have family here.
Both Steve’s parents were involved with Israel in a lot of different ways. His father was involved in the Jewish Federation that helped support and organize Jewish affairs all over the U.S. Steve is not at all surprised of his deep love for Israel because he knows his parents love, care, and commitment for Israel flows in his body.
"All my deep feelings for Israel come from my parents," he told me. Steve’s parents weren’t thrilled about him immigrating to Israel because they knew it meant they would see him much less but they understood him, and when they saw he was serious about it they encouraged him and helped him do it. They eventually made Aliyah as did his younger sister: even his aging grandmother lived here for several years before her death.
After Steve’s first year in Israel he went back to Denver and was called by a Zionist organization that runs tours in Israel and was asked to guide a group of teenage Americans in Israel for a week. He took the job and as he was guiding, he saw how each and every one of the kid’s life was changed, how they fell in love with Israel and how their Jewish identity was boosted.
That week, Steve realized that touring Israel has a very powerful side to it and he decided that everything he would do in his life would revolve around bringing people to Israel, telling the story of Israel, showing people the beautiful places in Israel and helping people live in Israel the way every Jew should.
While guiding, he understood that Israel inspires people to feel connected as it connects them to Judaism, to Jewish history, and most importantly, it helps them connect to their identity - to themselves. He has grown over the years to love guiding because he loves to be part of that process for others and watch it happen.
When Steve came to Israel a new world opened up to him - new places, new people, and new opportunities. He immediately fell in love with the entire country but most of all he loved the Holy City of Jerusalem. He loved the smell, the atmosphere, the people and the connection to ancient and modern history. It continues to amaze him that he can walk to the Western Wall on Jewish holidays and pray there with all the Jews that come from near and far, praying at the only remnant we have left from the Temple. Steve can't imagine living anywhere else-"I love Jerusalem; there is no city like it in the world."
Two years after Steve immigrated to Israel it was clear there would be a war with Lebanon. The PLO was shooting rockets into Israel and the country had to respond.At the time, Steve was a counselor in one of the Zionist youth programs and he and his group were touring in the North when the Lebanese started bombing the kibbutz where they were staying. Steve and the group had to spend the following Shabbat in a bomb shelter.
After that Shabbat, he went back to his yeshiva and was asked by a friend if he was a citizen yet Steve replied that he was not. The friend then asked him the million dollar question – “what will he do when all his friends get called up to go into the army and he doesn’t?”
That question got Steve thinking and once the war broke out he had a terrible feeling. He tried to do what he could by volunteering wherever he could but it didn’t just feel like it was enough. Therefore, as soon as possible, he became a citizen and served in the army for a year and a half as a paratrooper and a medic. "It was a great experience for me to serve in the Israeli army in a combat unit. I felt like I made a contribution to the country that did so much for me. Being a soldier was a big part of my becoming an Israeli and feeling like I belong in Israel."
As a kid Steve loved riding his bike. He rode all around the mountains of his birthplace in Colorado, anywhere his wheels would take him. In the year 2000, he and some friends wanted to take part in a bike ride that raised money for a hospital in England but took place in Israel. Sadly, the first intifada broke out at that time and the British hospital canceled the ride because they thought it was too dangerous to be in Israel with all the shooting and
rock throwing on the streets.
Steve and the ten friends who were planning to
bike got together to decide what they would do- would they relocate with the British bikers to Spain or forget all about it.
Instead, it was decided that since Steve organized tours, he could plan the road trip in Israel so they would still be able to ride.
He planned a route from Jerusalem to Eilat and the bikers knew that by riding together during the Intifada they were showing themselves and others that life could go on, that it was exactly what they and others needed to combat the sadness and frustration that so many people felt at that time.
They did the ride and enjoyed every minute of it. Steve said it was harder than expected but absolutely worth it. Over $65,000 was raised!
They were surprised at their success and decided to put together a committee at the Alyn Orthopedic Hospital and turn the ride into something bigger and better.
They did not believe that it would really become something so big but they were wrong. That ride which started from 10 bikers became a worldwide event, with people from over 20 different countries participating and hundreds of thousands of dollars being raised every year.
They proved that you can make the impossible, possible, This will be the 10th year for the Alyn bike ride - a bike ride that started because of the will to change and to help Israel in its hardest moments.
Steve comments- "I never dreamed of starting something like this. I just had the privilege to make this happen with the help of many talented people.
That ride, and each one of the years since, combined two of the things Steve loves - riding and guiding. Since there are so many tourists that now bike with the Alyn ride, they stop at certain places and have a guide explain the amazing history and sites that they are riding through.
Besides helping people feel connected to Israel through the ride, one of the committee’s goals is to make biking more popular in Israel, and of course, encourage safety while riding.
Steve’s dream for Israel is that it should become the kind of Country that a Jewish country should be, based on Jewish values: a country with social justice, where people care about each other, give to each other, and treat each other well.
A country that is a light unto the nations.
Steve’s message to the world is that each person should find what is most important to him or her and live a life based on those values and principles, no matter how hard that is. after saying that he laughs and says that it's not a sentence that is written on ancient walls or printed on brochures, but it is how he lives his life!
Wheels of Love, ALYN Ride
– History
How the ALYN ride started-
When you hear about an organization that raises so much money every year, and all the money goes to the Alyn hospital patients, you imagine a big story behind it. You imagine hundreds of people involved. You probably wouldn’t believe if someone told you it started from 10 young men who just wanted to ride the trails of their country, loving Israel kilometer by kilometer.
You might not believe that person, but it's true. Ten young men made the unbelievable possible and believable. They started an organization that has become the biggest non-profit charity organization in Israel - an organization that brings people together, gives other people hope, and lets those that can ride the length and breadth of the country help those that wish they could.
In 1997, Geoffrey Freeman, a new immigrant from England approached ALYN Children's Hospital with the inspired notion to continue his cycling tradition from 'the old country' and include ALYN's children as beneficiaries of the annual Norwood Ravenswood Israel Charity Bike Ride. In the years that followed, other riders from Israel joined him and by 2000 a record number of nine riders signed up.
But due to violence in the region, the Norwood Ravenswood contingent from England made the decision to cancel three weeks before the start of the 2000 ride. However, the ten ALYN riders decided to go ahead, and the first dedicated ALYN Charity Bike Ride was born. In their ride from Jerusalem to Eilat, the ten riders raised over $65,000 for the ALYN Hospital.
As word of mouth spread about the news of the ride, the number of riders grew from year to year. In 2001, 48 riders rode from the Golan Heights to Jerusalem. They broke the 100 rider mark in 2002, when 107 riders rode once again from Jerusalem to Eilat.
Nearly $2,000,000 was raised by the 324 riders who participated in the 2005 ride which began on the Golan Heights went up Mount Hermon and finished up in Jerusalem. For the second year running, more than 50% of the riders came from overseas.
In 2007, the ride grew yet again. A fourth touring route was added, that gave an opportunity for riders to ride only part of the day, and in addition, tour Israel’s magnificent North. The Ride started in Tiberias and ended in Jerusalem. Over $3,000,000 was raised.
The fact that in 2008, under the shadow of the global financial crisis, over 570 riders, from 10 countries came to ride from Jerusalem to Jerusalem via the Negev and the Dead Sea for ALYN's physically challenged children and succeeded in raising just over $2,100,000 says so much for the loyalty, the devotion, the generosity and above all the caring of the Wheels Of Love participants!
The 10th Anniversary of the ALYN Wheels Of Love Ride in 2009 was the very best ever. Although this Ride took place under difficult weather conditions, the morale stayed as high as the mountains they climbed. Today the 660 participants have succeeded in raising an interim total of $2,000,000.
In between rides and charity projects, the Alyn WOL staff and committee try to raise the awareness and importance of safety, while driving, riding and running.
They publicize helmets and other gadgets that are easily purchased, comfortable and are life savers. There are many stories about accidents, most of them told by those who survived a serious crash because they wore helmets. Safety matters a lot more than looks.
I hope you believe it now, because it is true.
This amazing organization that helps so many people in so many different ways was started because ten young men wanted to ride and weren’t willing to let the danger stop them.
We have a lot to learn from them, one of the main things I learned from them is, no fear, never give up, don’t cancel your dream and belief, fight for your dream and fight for your nations spirit.
Wheels of Love – making history, one year at a time!
Literary Connection-
The Road Not Taken \ Robert Frost
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
When people talk about immigrating to Israel it usually comes down to two reasons:
Either they want to connect to the Jewish people and to Jewish history or,
by chance, they somehow ended up in the Holy Land.
I think everything happens for a reason and that nobody just ends up somewhere. There are choices taken and decisions made that lead someone to where he is now.
No one just randomly ends up in Israel. There is a stronger and deeper reason that the traveler might not know or might never fully understand.
But he got here and lives here in Israel for a reason.
Our life flies by pretty quickly, and I think we need to take advantage of who we are, where we live, like they say- "carpei dium", “Cease the Moment”, live each day as if it was your last. Make the best of it.
Don’t deny who you are, if you're a Jew, live in Israel.
Help your nation become stronger, more real, more yours.
Take the risks that are worth taking. Travel the road that is less traveled. Don’t look back. Don’t look to see what others are doing. Be real with yourself. Do what you believe. Don’t let the opportunities go by and don’t live your life thinking “what if…?”
What you decide, who you are, that makes all the difference.
The poem talks about making a choice - in this case about where to go, which path to choose. I read it and made the connection to each and every one of our lives. It is about making choices, about being who you are and who you are meant to be.
Since I've been working on the profile, this poem spoke to me and I really see Israel in it. Israel may look like any other ordinary country, but it is not.
Israel is more than a country. Its heart, its will, its faith, its history, its love, is everything a Jew needs and more.
Once you immigrate and stick to your decision, you can see it, see how special and blessed the country is, and notice how lucky we are to be living in a place like Israel.
That decision, of immigrating for what ever reason,
that has made all the difference.
Live your life wanting to make a change,
Live your life wanting to make a difference.
Its up to us, the power is in our hands, the future of our country and nation is depended upon us.
creative connection-
Every time I picture my childhood, there is always a ball of some sort, always some sport going on. That’s how I was born - with a ball in one hand and a never ending love for the game in the other.
This year, I decided to retire from baseball. I decided to put a game that I love and will always love behind me, to put part of who I am in a box called Memory. I will always remember the feeling of holding a bat, hearing its crack when it sends the ball flying into the clouds. I will cherish forever the touch of the leather glove and the seams of the baseball. I will never forget the sight of the ball being released on the pitch and flying right into the catcher’s glove, followed by the umpire’s call, “Strike”. All these pieces of memory and mind - feeling the rush of the wind on my body while running the bases, sliding into home plate with such a sense of pride, getting patted on the helmet by my teammates - every piece of the game makes it exciting and an amazing team effort. Like they say- “there is no ‘I’ in baseball”…
It was a hard decision to make, and even now, after I’ve put it all behind me, it’s hard to not look back and think about what an amazing game I’m missing out on. Every time I see a bat or a glove or a baseball, my first instinct is to pick it up, run it through my fingers and let my head fill with the memories that rush my mind with every touch of these childhood ‘friends’. When people ask me now why I stopped playing, I always say, “I wanted to give some new kids a chance to be the rookie…”, but deep inside I know that’s not the real reason. I stopped because there comes a time in life when you need to move on, to try new things, to open your mind to different possibilities, even if it means putting part of who you are aside. Moving on doesn’t mean forgetting; it means trying new things and always having a warm place in your heart for the things you’ve left behind.
Baseball had a really big impact on building, shaping and making me the person I am today. Throughout the years, I’ve had coaches who taught me about sportsmanship, helping me learn that winning and losing need to be done in the same way - with your head held high. While playing you learn never to give up, to always try harder, to ‘give everything you got’, to cheer on your teammates, because “the team is only as strong as the weakest player.” On the field, I learned so many morals and life lessons that guide me and help me with living off the field. Playing a team sport really teaches you about people, personalities, friendship, will, sportsmanship, unity, and most of all, it teaches you and helps you find and develop yourself.
I thought my life would be the same after I stopped playing baseball but I noticed that it felt empty, as if some part of me was missing. So, I decided to try football to heal my broken baseball heart and to see how it is to play on an all girls’ team. I got to the field on the first open football practice, picked up the ball and felt this weird feeling in my finger tips, as if the football is where it needs to be. In four months of hard work, I worked my way up to the Israeli National Women’s Football Team, one of the younger players on the team. I don’t think football replaced baseball; it’s just one more chance and adventure I’ve got to take and be a part of.
When I look at pictures and think about my baseball career, I think of my trip to Czech. For me, it symbolizes will and strength - of a team and of a country. That summer of 2006, every Israeli fought their own fight - if it was to live, to be happy, to believe, or to win. As Michael Jordan says,
"If you're trying to achieve, there will be roadblocks. I've had them; everybody has had them. But obstacles don't have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don't turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it."
The trip taught me that being different is okay because, sometimes, being different is actually being yourself. The scrap book I made is a way to remember that amazing, hard, wonderful, happy, confusing time. It starts at the beginning of my baseball days and doesn't really end, because it's not the end yet. You never know, the Major League might want me to play for them one day…
Every day I thank all the people that had anything to do with baseball, because baseball has a lot to do with who I am today. While making the book, I hoped that who ever reads it or goes through it will get a feel of what it was like, being in a foreign country during a war, not giving up even when it gets hard, making your good into your best. It was an honor to represent Israel and to bring back pride - a bronze medal.
Reflection-
When kids hear the word project, they usually give up straight away; they put on this unhappy face and just sit there, annoyed.
For some reason when I heard about this project I didn’t have that face, maybe because I'm a nerd, or simply because I knew I would make it fun and meaningful.
There are a lot of things that we know and think in our head, but once you write them down and say them out loud it gives it a stronger affect, suddenly you really understand, once you put the thought into action it becomes real.
When you’re a little kid, it is easy to believe everything is good and that all people are nice. Once you grow up, you see that it is only partially true.
Through this project, I was able to look at the fullest and best part of Israel and her citizens. I heard and saw for myself of those people who have been contributing their whole lives to Israel.
I understand that there are criminals and people who behave badly, but there are also so many people, including many immigrants, who do so much good. They create organizations to help others, they give money to the less fortunate, they do everything to try to make their country and the world a better place.
I learned that there are so many people with dreams. We all have dreams and, as weird as it sounds, some people’s dream is to help, just because they can.
They know that if they don’t, who will?
It is a cycle - people help you and then you want to help others.
It is the cycle that keeps the world from ending.
It is the cycle that keeps us human.
"WE LEARN FROM THE PAST FOR THE FUTURE."
We learn things from others so we can plant those seeds in ourselves, become better, nicer, happier, and through that, more ourselves.
Having people that you can learn from in your life is a blessing. Learn from their good deeds. Learn from others so, one day, people will be able to learn from you.
Don’t let anyone tell you that you can't. There is nothing you can't do.
Fulfill your potential and be proactive. Don’t waste your talents and strengths. Help others and in so doing, help your country, your nation, your people.
Bibliography-The interview was taken on Monday, in Steves house in Jerusalem.
"poems." poem hunter.com. 3/8/2010 3:37:39 AM. Web. 8 Mar 2010. <http://www.poemhunter.com/search/?q=the+road+not+taken>
"Wheels of Love – The International ALYN Charity Bike Ride." wheels of love. בניית אתרים , Web. 8 Mar 2010. <http://www.alynride.org/>.
All photos were taken by Steve Zerobnick and his family.
"Classic Poetry Pages Version 2.0." Classic Poetry Pages Version 2.0. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Apr. 2010. <http://poetrypages.lemon8.nl/index.htm>.
"Alyn Hospital." Alyn Hospital. daronet, n.d. Web. 28 Apr. 2010. <http://www.alyn.org/>.